Henry Green - Nothing

"Whatever she does is perfect by me Liz."

"Has there ever been anyone as loyal as you dear Richard! You are so good."

"Mind if I say something?"

"Of course not. How could I?"

"Might be you make too much of things."

"Oh come now Richard you aren't going to say 'mounrains out of molehills,' not as late in the day as this surely?"

"I could."

"But don't you see what's going on under your very nose?" she goodhumouredly demanded.

"Cheer up" he said. "It needn't happens."

"And shan't if I have anything to do with things. I used to love old John. I can't bear to stand by and see him ruined."

Mr Abbot's eyes widened. He watched the woman with plain amazement and some cunning.

"Don't look at me as though you'd seen a ghost" Miss Jennings softly said. "I've been around all this time even if you have only just noticed."

"Sorry" he said at once. "But you're a surprising person Lizo."

"Of course I am" she replied.

"You were keen enough on the children's marriage once" he pointed out.

"Well naturally" she answered.

"And now you want a girl of nineteen to stay at home single so as to give her father injections?"

"But John dines with Jane every other night already!"

"You and I couldn't stop them even if we wanted to."

"Perhaps not Richard" she admitted. "Still we might try and keep it at that and then they could conceivably quarrel over the arrangements even yet, who knows? Because I won't have those two children made into pawns, their whole lives I mean, their own futures, just for Jane to play sicknurse to poor John."

"I thought you were the one who was so keen on Philip marrying Mary."

"I was" she wailed.

"Well then why change when the wind seems to blow the other way? We aren't weathercocks after all."

"I am where John's concerned."

"But you just said, Liz-"

"I know" she interrupted "but I simply can't bear the thought of that woman sticking needles in his arm."

"Liz!" he warned.

"Oh what must you think of me?" she cried. "Yet I just won't help myself and you know she'd give him blood poisoning."

"If he can't learn to manage by himself why shouldn't you be the one for the chap?"

"Would you like that best Richard?"

He paused and looked about.

"Me?" he asked at last.

"Yes you."

"How do I come in?"

"Oh well if you won't talk" she replied with a small voice. "Of course I've no right to go on like this. Yes, well there you are."

"Hope I didn't seem rude at all" he said at once. "Ex- case me will you? Fact is I've got a feeling no one has any right to interfere with the lives of others."

"But don't they interfere all the time in yours?"

"Shouldn't be surprised."

"Well then!"

"There's no 'well then' about this" he protested sharply, "Can't be too grateful to old Jane" he muttered "and I like those two kids."

"Richard you are sweet and wonderful" she said with apparent sincerity shortly after which, and time was getting on, he went off alone to dine at the Club.

UPON which Mrs Weatherby again asked John Pomfret to dinner.

"Oh my dear I'm so worried about little Penelope once more" she began as soon as he came in. "Why how's that?" he asked.

"It's all to do with this horrid new thing you've got" Jane explained. "The poor sweet will insist on sticking pins into herself now."

He laughed rather bitterly.

"Oh dear" he said.

"I know it's dreadful of me" she admitted. "There you are chock full of diabetes so to speak yet I can't but worry my heart out over the little saint. What d'you suppose will stop her?"

"How d'you mean?"

"Well she can't just go on pretending to inject herself all of every day can she? It's even so dangerous. She might get blood poisoning. And oh my clear in what way will you manage yourself? Have you thought of that? Because after a little while there won't be any free space left?"

He laughed once more.

"There is the diet treatment" he suggested.

"Then do tell Pen so with your own lips" she pleaded.

"But Jane you wouldn't want the child to starve herself!"

Mrs Weatherby chuckled.

"Good Lord what a perfect fool I am not to have thought of that" she admitted. "If you hadn't said we might've had her really on our hands! Now darling how about you? Are you all right?"

"Well yes I imagine so" he conceded. "Of course it's a bore but one has to be thankful it's not worse I suppose."

"You're perfectly wonderful the way you take everything John" Mrs Weatherby insisted.

"But who told Penelope about me?" he asked.

"I did" the mother wailed. "You know how truly fond of you she is, why she dotes on you John, and I wanted to make Pen a little bit sad-you see at that instant minute she was creating such a dreadful noise and racket, so I told her your news the little pet, and my dear it came off all too well, she's been quiet as a mouse jabbing great pins in her leg ever since."

Mrs Weatherby gaily laughed and so did John Pomfret. Then she went on quite serious again, "And if Pen let go, should one of those pins get inside her, it might even travel right to her little heart, darling isn't that too awful just for words?"

Jane turned her eyes, which immediate fright made still more enormous, full on him.

"Don't you worry now" he said smiling.

"Yet darling Mother had one in her all her life. It entered through the seat."

"She sat on a pin?" he interrupted, broadly smiling now.

"Yes she was one of the first to be X-rayed" Mrs Weatherby continued, "it travelled all over, just think, and then when she died she had pernicious anжmia after all, poor wonderful darling that she was."

"I expect Pen will be all right" he comforted.

"She'll have to be" Mrs Weatherby replied with great conviction. "John tell me about yourself. How serious is it really?"

"Well I have to take things easy for a bit you know. I can't throw up the office worse luck but I'll have to be careful in the evenings."

"It's extraordinary my dear your saying what you have just done about the office" Mrs Weatherby exclaimed. "I was only thinking the other day over your sweet Mary and how bad all this working life is for these girls."

"Why Jane what on earth do you mean?"

"Oh nothing, certainly nothing which concerns the ghastly talk we had last time about their plans or rather the endless lack of ptans they seem to have. But John don't you think she should get right away before she setdes down?"

He turned rather white.

"Rid ourselves of her for a bit?" he inquired.

"Now don't turn so damned suspicious" she said equably. "I wouldn't be in the least surprised if my little plot didn't bring precious Philip up to the boil though poor darling I don't really know how much else he can do when he's already proposed and given her a ring." At this Mr Pomfret seemed on the point of speech but Jane waved him down. "No" she gaily cried "I won't allow you, just let it pass, I was only joking. But you know what things are for a girl. And whatever we may do to help them in the end there probably won't be much money. No I think she ought to have a change first."

"She's only just out of the nursery Jane where she's rested all her short life so far."

"Then they often start a baby so much too soon" Mrs Weatherby went on imperturbably, "terribly exhausting after all the excitement of the wedding. No John no you really don't understand about girls, how should you? And after that it's just one long grind darling until they're too old to enjoy a thing. I think you should send her to Italy for at least two months."

"But the money" he cried.

" "What made you get this idea Daddy."

"Nothing I just had it" he said in rather a surly voice.

"You didn't speak to Philip about Italy?"